It is Universal Century 0079, at the end of the One Year War between the Earth Federation and the Principality of Zeon. The space colonies of Side 4, or Moore, were previously destroyed by a Zeon attack, and many colonists lost their lives. Side 4 became a shoal zone filled with the wreckage of destroyed colonies and warships, lit by constant flashes of lightning due to collisions between electrified debris. It soon came to be known as the “Thunderbolt Sector.”

The Moore Brotherhood, an Earth Federation Forces unit made up of surviving citizens from Moore, set out to exterminate the Zeon forces in the Thunderbolt Sector in order to reclaim their homeland. To halt the Federation advance, the Zeon forces deployed their own Living Dead Division, which was established to collect combat data on soldiers with prosthetic limbs.

Io Fleming, though part of the Moore Brotherhood, hates being tied down by his homeland and family history. Daryl Lorenz, having lost his legs in earlier battles, is now an ace sniper of the Living Dead Division. When they confront each other on the battlefield, they will reach a mutual realization. These two are destined to kill each other.

Commentary:

Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt December Sky is the type of anime film that proves if you keep doing a thing enough you will finally get it right. This film hits on several major points and leave3s you wanting for a lot more. From the opening sequence all the way to end ending montage I found December Sky to be a delight. It did manage to have some of the overly melodramatic elements that Gundam Universal Century calls for and at the same time uses music and lively characters to make this fast paced film something worth watching.

One thing is very clear and that is the fact that Kō Matsuo understood the import of making these characters complex and human enough to sympathize with on both sides. Funny thing, I found December Sky to be one of the most anti war Gundam produces yet.

Overall Grade: A

As you can tell, I really liked December Sky and will recommend it to all Gundam fans and all other Sci Fi fans who love music and action. I don’t really care if it doesn’t resolve anything I think that from the artistic stylings to the insane character development everyone can get a great idea of what this film is all about. So, I just want to tell Kō Matsuo thank you for proving us with 70 minutes of pure excitement.

It doesn’t seem like he had taken the time to consider the offer. He just went for it. As a new high school student, Momo quickly agreed when an older girl confessed to him and asked him out. Yuri, not at all an average girl, is in her second year of high school and she has a serious crush (obession?) on him. She finds everything about him so incredibly cute, she can’t help but seek out his location and secretly snap some photos, and maybe find a little memento. This awkward pair are both thrilled to be dating, but find nearly every aspect of having a boyfriend/girlfriend embarrassing. Very embarrassing.

As the school year progresses, Kuri increases her collection of photos and mementos of Momo, usually through what many people would call stalking. Her best friend warns her this is weird and to keep it to herself. Even so, she tries her best to make Momo happy. Through the holiday, tests and all the usual life moments, their relationship grows slow yet steady. A year end trip to a resort brings up questions that test this young relationship.

Commentary:

It can be fun and calming to watch the familiar. Momokuri is full of typical anime settings like the waterpark, the festival, the amusement park, the haunted house, the hot springs and to finish off the list, the Christmas episode. What is important is what happens there. It all starts with Kuri seeing Momo from afar and developing a major crush. Being the kind of person to really put all her effort into something, she decides to confront him and viola they are a couple in episode one. Now, that is where anime starts going.

Momokuri is a cute and friendly, light hearted comedy. There is no big challenges or obstacle to over come, it is just a slice of life. Like visiting friends. On that note, it really is the characters and their friendships that make this anime worth watching. All of them were easy to like. Momo is a gentle and conscientious person and Kuri is the energetic enthusiast who really dives into things, albeit often in a weird sort of way.

Now, as the anime goes on, Kuri’s obsessive behavior gets weirder nearly becoming a character on its own. Her weirdness eventually causes her boyfriend to get confused and doubtful. It seems his old button or used straw might make her happier than actually being together. But it is all secondary to the pool of embarassment Momo and Kuri’s relationships is drowning in. The constant embarrassment makes this anime a poor candidate for binge watching. Every milestone their relationship reached, was accompanied by them both being embarassed. I’d say stick to 4 or 5 episodes at a time, because the constant of this emotion got annoying. Never fear, after a break, it started making more sense and I was no longer annoyed by the endless embarrassment. It can even come across as sweet.

Visually, this was well done. Nothing too inventive, but the art work really conveys the characters and their lives. Besides, there is no way a live action could convey embarrassment as effectively. The detail to clothing was also really good, especially the girls’ outfits. They didn’t really talk about it, but it added to the expressions of their characters and personalities.

Some of my favorite moments include the comedy surrounding the “indirect kiss”, it was sweetly funny. I’d also have to say the scene where someone is making cotton candy was really awesome. I watched it twice to make sure. Yup, still awesome.

Overall Grade: B Momokuriis romance about already being in the relationship. Along those lines, you might also enjoy My Love Story and Say I Love You.

You know how the story goes: girl crushes on guy, girl confesses feelings to guy, guy mistakes confession for a job application.

Okay, maybe that’s not how it usually goes, but that’s what happens when Chiyo Sakura finally gets up the nerve to tell her classroom crush Nozaki how she feels. Since she doesn’t know that he’s secretly a manga artist who publishes under a female pen name, and he doesn’t know that she doesn’t know, he misunderstands and offers her a chance to work as his assistant instead of a date!

But while it’s not flowers and dancing, it is a chance to get closer to him, so Chiyo gamely accepts. And when Nozaki realizes how useful Chiyo can be in figuring out what girls find romantic, he’ll be spending even more time with her “researching” while remaining completely clueless. Could Chiyo’s romantic frustration possibly get any more drawn out of proportion? The answer will be profusely illustrated in Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun!

Commentary:

I was very weary going into this anime. I have seen plenty silly romantic comedies that were just one gussy scene after another. Monthly Girls Nozaki-kun manages to take this basic plot line and turn it into a very funny and enjoyable comedy. I found myself laughing out loud from the first episode all the way through to the last.

The real strength to the series is the writing. I thought the character development was well above par and the dialog superior to most romantic comedies being produced lately. The cast of characters was a great fit for the strangeness of the series and with there only being 12 episodes things kept moving at a perfect pace.

Overall Grade: A-

The only thing that I found disappointing was the high pitched persona of Chiyo. She managed to be a little annoying, and too shy about her crush. Other than that the blend of odd ball characters managed to keep the laughs coming and the relationship between Yuzuki and Wakamatsu. They appear to make a totally mismatched couple but are really perfect for each other and Wakamatsu is just a pushover for her and doesn’t even see it.

Anyway, Monthly Girls Nozaki-kun is a blast and I recommend it to everyone. I think almost every anime fan will find something about this series that they can appreciate and get plenty of laughs to go along with it. On other thing, I love Tonuki.

A new force enters the Universal Century conflict. Can the A.E.U.G. fight a war on two fronts?

The Universal Century world is locked into an escalating conflict. While the A.E.U.G. resistance group strives to convince the world of the justice of its cause, the brutal Titans continue to suppress dissent through violence and fear. Now the struggle enters a new phase as a powerful third force enters the battlefield, and the A.E.U.G. and Titans race to enlist the support of the mysterious Axis renegades. Confronted with his past, Char Aznable at last decides to embrace his role as leader of the A.E.U.G. But his choice may have come too late, for the Titans have completed their most terrible and devastating weapon.

Commentary:

In the world know as Gundam there are often conflicting messages, but one thing stands true, women make great shields. I think Zeta has the greatest body count of martyrs than any other Gundam series. The one thing that runs through most of this plot devise is that most of them die for the wrong person.

Zeta Gundam is still one of my favorite series of the franchise and yet it manages to frustrate me and remind me how backward much of the mindset set was back in the 1980’s. I am not proud to say that I come from the era and less proud to relive the foolishness that was viewed as high entertainment in the anime world,

Overall Grade: B

The series as a whole is good enough and is clearly a stand out in the Gundam universe. I know that there are a good deal of fans that will climb over each other to get their hands on this series and plenty that will stand back and scratch their heads. I do understand the fandom, I may not always agree with it but I get it.

So, all you Gundam fan get your Zeta hats on and get ready for part two of the Mobile Suite Zeta Gundam series to hit the store shelves. I know you will like it.

Similar Series or Titles to Check Out: Elfen Lied, Another, and Future Diary

Synopsis:

Moving to the picturesque town of Hinamizawa is going to be a big adjustment for Keiichi Maebara. For all its beauty, it is also very small, so small that there’s only one school, one where most of the students have known each other all their lives.

Fortunately, he soon meets four girls… Rena, Mion, Satoko, and Rika, who are willing to let the new guy in town join their afterschool club. And for a while, things seem wonderful. Until Keiichi starts discovering strange things, like when the project manager for a controversial dam project was found dismembered five years ago.

As he digs deeper, there are whispers and rumors of other murders and disappearances, stories of a town curse, and mysterious rituals. And then people he knows start to die. What secrets have the people of Hinamizawa kept hidden from the rest of the world? Could his new friends somehow be involved? The shocking answers to these and other questions will be revealed in When They Cry: Complete Collection!

Commentary:

When They Cry: Complete Collection epitomizes how you should never judge something by its cover. It looks like a simple, generic harem series at first glance; however When They Cry: Complete Collection is anything but that. When They Cry: Complete Collection is nothing short of genius and the whole setting, atmosphere, and mood are incredibly well executed. The plot may seem simple at first with a new kid moving to a strange, new town and meeting new friends but beneath the exterior appearance of this seemingly tame series lays a dark story of murder, violence, and mystery.

When They Cry: Complete Collection has a plot that consists of arcs. Although these arcs seem disjointed at first, it is all part of the plot and is actually an important part of solving the mystery of the Hinamizawa murders. However, When They Cry: Complete Collection is not a simple, generic murder mystery where the solutions are force fed to us. It is up to us to decide between what is true and what is not. This way we think and interact with the story. Each arc has a twisted finish that will leave you saying, “What just happened?”.

While When They Cry: Complete Collection is full of mentally instable characters, however they are extremely well written and developed. Luckily, the mental instability of the main characters does not take away from their personality and interaction. Each and every character serves a purpose to the plot in some way, shape, or form so be sure to pay attention to what a character does in different arcs.

The animation was normal for the age of the series but the background animation was breathtaking. The opening and closing songs were amazing and fit the series perfectly. The voice actors filled the series with psychotic laughter, blood-curling screams, and extremely cute voices in order to bring the characters to life.

Extras:

When They Cry: Complete Collection includes clean opening and closing animations and Sentai Filmworks trailers as special features. When They Cry: Complete Collection has both English and Japanese with English subtitles as language options.

Overall Grade: A+

I cannot begin to explain how excited I am that Sentai Filmworks licensed When They Cry: Complete Collection! I hope they release the rest of the series so that we can learn what else happens. I recommend that you watch When They Cry: Complete Collection if you enjoy the horror or psychological thriller genre. You will not be disappointed.

It’s been seven years since Nonoka Komiya last lived in Lake Kiriya City. However, while she knew that there would be changes in the town, she’s still unprepared for what she finds upon her return: A giant saucer hovers over the entire city, as it has since shortly after she and her family left.

Stranger yet, a girl she doesn’t know, Noel, is waiting for her, claiming that they have met before. Confused, Nonaka tries to focus on reconnecting with her old friends, but odd memories, suppressed in the wake of her mother’s death, begin to float to the top of her consciousness.

Can it be that she has met Noel before? And how does this connect with the appearance of the saucer itself? To solve the riddle, Nonoka must join with her friends and rediscover the events that occurred before she left Lake Kiriya. Because there’s more than a mystery that must be solved: there’s a promise that has to be kept in Celestial Method.

Commentary:

There is one thin that can be said about anime and that is that it covers a great deal of ground from hard edge dramas to silly strange comedies. Celestial Method is a series that is dear and sweet that explores friendship and the bonds that transcend space and time. There is also a very buhhdist idealism running through it regarding connections and happiness.

I found much of Celestial Method to be a reminder of Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day in how it approached the groups of friends but with the group not being so damaged there was a sweeter side of them coming back together. This kindness made the series a great fit for the younger audience.

Overall Grade: A

I realize that it might seem strange seeing Celestial Method as a top notch anime, but there is something very simple and heartwarming about it that made it great. Celestial Method is another example of a anime geared toward a younger audience that was not given and English dud and that for me is a great mishap. I know that older viewers won’t have any issues with the subtitles, but it would be wonderful if there was a English dub for those viewers under 11 or 12. Over the last 12 to 18 months there have been a good number of anime that fall into that category and each one of them have been solid titles that would have helped foster a new generation of anime fans. Alas, they will just have to wait until they are older and only want to do sub-titles.

As you can read, I really like Celestial Method. It is a solid little anime which offers a tad bit of a tear jerk at the end, but all in all it reminds you of the friendship. So, if you are in the mood for heartwarming story about a small group of friends then Celestial Method is something you should see.

Whether in the planning rooms for lunar missions or the claustrophobic steel confines of an undersea laboratory, the one thing that every astronaut must learn to deal with is pressure.

But as deadly as the blowout of a pressurized cabin may be, the peer pressure that weighs on brothers Mutta and Hibito may be even more crippling. As Mutta prepares to journey to the bottom of the deep blue sea for NEEMO training, Hibito’s path descends to even lower depths as his inability to recover sends him into a downward emotional spiral. Will a trip to Russia be the cure for Hibito’s malaise?

Or, having once reached the stars, will he now end up forever grounded by NASA and JAXA? Yet even as one rising star falters, a second prepares for his ascent to the heavens as Mutta’s quest to reach space advances to the next level in the seventh spellbinding collection of Space Brothers!

Commentary:

I know that by saying how much I like Space Brother makes me sound like a broken record, but the simple fact is that it is one of the more humanistic slide of life series I have seen. It doesn’t just tel a story to make you cry or be happy. Space Brothers comes at you with real life lesson that make you stop and think about your own life and how you might react in the same situation. Space Brothers collection seven provides us with more trials and tribulations for the brothers and also give us a glimpse at what it means to be a brother, either a younger one of a big brother. There is something special about family that has a universal understanding about it.

I had my concerns that with a series this long that it will lose it’s way and either become a silly redundant story about brotherhood and achieving dreams. Instead it gives us a plot line that makes thing tough for both brothers and shows us how life can be about choices and decisions rather than just dumb luck.

Overall Grade: A

Again these 12 episodes put you in the mood to stand up and applaud what you have just watched. Space Brothers is written by a person who have experience life in a way that makes it interesting with a understanding of the universal struggles that we all go through from fear, anger, frustration and competition against friends. I was impressed how each emotion was brought out and exposed in both of the brothers. There is also the aspect of understanding and friendship that comes into play for each. I found myself looking at myself and trying to see when I was in a situation like this. No I am not an astronaut and yes these struggles are not the same for everyone, but when you watch the series and get to these episodes you will understand what I am saying.

This is a great series and I know most anime fans will not even care about it. It may not be Free or Attack on Titan, but it much better. Space Brothers is about us, humanity and how we go about working toward our dreams. So, if you are looking for a heart warming series that gives you more to think about than how many bad guys get killed then you really need to pick this up. Be sure to start from the beginning. You will thank me later.

When the laws of magic are broken, it’s the duty of the Police Department’s deadly Section 1 to enforce them. But, since even craven maven Wizards and nefarious Necromancers have the right to a fair trial, the job of defending them belongs to the Benmashi, the Wizard Barristers!

It’s a tricky profession, requiring both arcane ability and a judicious sense of jurisprudence, and at just seventeen, Cecil Sudo is the youngest Benmashi that Butterfly Law has ever employed. That means a lot of late nights burning the midnight brimstone, summoning up summaries, parsing phrases with paranormal paralegals and cutting deals with opposing counsels from hell.

And when a young Benmashi starts to discover that her own charm may be more magically-based than she realized, there’ll be a hex-tra incentive to work wonders outside the courtroom as well! Every trial is a witch trial as the most enchantingly Adept Attorney ever becomes a Master of the Art of Defensive Spells in Wizard Barristers!

Commentary:

Okay, I know that there are some of you that think I am crazy for giving such a high grade to Wizards Barristers. The truth is that I found it rather appealing. I saw it as a true amalgamation of a lot of anime and western pop culture. Right off the bat I saw Cecil as a new form of Sawa from Kite, and a strange blend of Fullmetal Alchemist along with a health dose of Harry Potter. Cecil is the girl who holds the key and doesn’t remember her past. She is destine to be something very special and she is very unaware of it. There are wizards on both sides that want her and she is surrounded by a group of people who are there to be not just friends but protectors too. This series is a interesting blend of the world of supernatural story telling and if not watched with a curious eye much will be missed.

Overall Grade: A-

Wizard Barristers has much to offer and provides it all in a lively colorful package. The one drawback for me was the animation. I found the computer generated (CG) work to be a little stiff, but with the advances in CG it is easy to watch.

The rest of the series had plenty of light humor tossed in to keep you interested and a lot of dark questions kept coming up that made it a must to watch the next episode. The ending felt a tad rushed and there are some gaps in the plot that I personally would like to see explained in an OVA or a second season. With Wizard Barristersbeing only an Anime property I just don’t see more coming and that is too bad. If you like Harry Potter, Kite and Fullmetal Alchemist then I believe you should enjoy Wizard Barristers. It is worth the time to check it out.

They should never have met. They shouldn’t even exist. But when they come together, the entire world will change.

The last surviving member of her clan, Mirai Kuriyama is cursed with the terrifying ability to control and manipulate blood, a power so heretical that she is shunned even by those with the ability to understand her “gift”. Akihito Kanbara is only half human, but while the monstrous other half of his lineage seems to have doomed him to a life alone, it has also given him near invulnerability in the form of rapid healing. Alone, their futures seem bleak, but when a chance encounter brings them together, it becomes clear that they share more than just an unexpected bond. Together they share a destiny and a mission that only the two of them together may be strong enough to survive.

Commentary:

Beyond the Boundary is one of the more interesting supernatural show to come out this year. It has humor, drama and a solid romance on top of a rather compelling plot line. The most compelling aspect to the series is the love story that develops. It is slow and could go either way thought the series but as the viewer you are always wanting them to move closer. It leaves the mystery fresh enough to keep you watching.

The animation was super slick and unexpected. At first I was very worried that it was going to fall into the trap with the pinks and blues that No Game No Life did, but it leveled off and managed to have a wonderful blending of style and color to help accentuate the story line exceptionally well.

Overall Grade: A-

I found Beyond the Boundary to be a wonderful mix of supernatural and heart warming friendship and romance. The one area that I thought was lacking was character development. Understanding who and what all of these characters are is important to the series and to the most part we are given enough information to make the series understandable. I think that if there was more information about the main characters and even a few of the others that show up from time to time it would have made a big difference in who the series tied together.

As series go Beyond the Boundary reminds me of several series blended together and the mish-mash works as a hole. If you are looking for a shorter series that has plenty of action and a wonderfully heart warming ending then you should check this series out.

Similar Series or Titles to Check Out: Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions!

Synopsis:

Yuta Togashi thought he had problems dealing with one delusional girlfriend in the person of Rikka Takanashi, but now things are about to go totally insane as his former “one true soul mate” from when he was a chuni himself returns with a vengeance! How bad could Satone Shichimiya’s re-entry into Yuta’s chuni-verse likely to be? Let’s just say that she’s so epically off the deep end of the chuni-scale that she prefers to use the name Sophia Ring SP Saturn VII and that she’ll joyfully tear Yuta’s real world to pieces in order to get him back in her imaginary one!

Some girls just want to have fun and some want to break down the walls between their boyfriends and themselves. But when a girl’s idea of fun is breaking down the wall between their presumed boyfriend and reality, retreating into a fantasy world might just be Yuta’s best option. Especially since Satone knows where ALL the skeletons from his past are buried. Toss Rikka’s equally delusional friend Sanae into the mix and girl-crazy begins to take on a whole new meaning!

Commentary:

I really liked the first season and I was quite happy when Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions: Heart Throb was released but now I wish I would not have been so excited because I believe I had too high expectations for this season. The storyline was not as deep nor complex as Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions but it was still cute and funny. I really wish they would have progressed the romance between Yuta and Rikka in Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions: Heart Throb as I was looking forward to it after watching the first season. But instead, Yuta and Rikka are awkward and shy around each other even though they have been “dating” for six months. This is a slice-of-life series that is mainly episodic but some episodes to flow into the next one.

There was also a new character introduced, Satone Shichimiya. She is a childhood friend of Yuta and she takes chunibyo to a whole new level. She adds a large amount of drama between Yuta and Rikka that really was not necessary. Plus, she is kinda in love with Rikka and that makes Rikka jealous. But I think that would make anyone jealous. I really wish they would have given Nibutani some more attention but instead she was relegated to the background during the important scenes as a sort of cheerleader who pushes Yuta and Rikka forward because they are too childish to take that step themselves.

The animation was pretty and vivid. The colors jumped off the screen and the characters and backgrounds were well drawn. The music was catchy and enjoyable. I found myself humming along after a few episodes. The voice actors did a good job bringing the characters to life and made the series enjoyable.

Extras:

Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions: Heart ThrobThe Complete Collection includes clean opening and closing animations and Sentai Filmworks trailers as special features. This series was released with both English and Japanese with English subtitles as language options. Both are well done and enjoyable.

Overall Grade: B-

While Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions: Heart Throb has some issues, it was still interesting to watch and it had some cute moments. I recommend this series if you have seen the first season and want to see what happens next.

Animeggroll : St Louis Anime Store

Animeggroll has moved to Taubman Prestige Outlet, located at 17057 (space 152) North Outer 40 Road, Chesterfield, Mo 63005. Please note, our hours listed below and that we are closed on Mondays.

We are a St. Louis anime store, opening in October of 2010.

Regular Hours:
Monday Closed
Tue-Th 11-8
Fri 11-9
Sat 11-8
Sun 11-6

We carry a variety of Japanese Pop Culture Items. From anime (DVD, Blu-Ray, VHS, Laser Disc, new and used), then about 5,000 manga, add in Gundam models, wall scrolls, figures, Bento boxes and bento box supplies, plush, key chains, necklaces, buttons, pins, T-shirts, bags, Japanese erasers and more. For photos, look under the about us selection.

We carry new and used for a greater variety. We buy and trade. We are unable to take all items. Please call first to make sure we have someone to evaluate your items.